Posted tagged ‘New England Patriots’

This picture on the left is what everyone will be seeing at New England’s minicamp tomorrow morning.

Tim Tebow, the three year player out of Florida, has played two seasons with the Denver Broncos and last season with the New York Jets. “Tebow Time” prospered in Denver 2011 leading his team to the playoffs and pulling off a miraculous overtime win over Pittsburgh but in New York, Tebow’s time was over once he arrived at Jets camp.

But the 25 year old still expects to play at the quarterback position and will compete with Ryan Mallett in training camp for the spot at backup quarterback behind Tom Brady, the star of the franchise.

While this may seem like a crazy move, it is actually the best move for Tebow moving forward. Tim will reunite with Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who was the Broncos‘ head coach when Denver traded into the first round to draft the Heisman Trophy winner in 2010.

So Tim Tebow could be used at different positions on the New England roster and could even line up at tight end now that Rob Gronkowski will be sidelined for a period of time due to his recent forearm and back injuries.

While the circus may be headed to New England in 2013, the media monstrosity may be minimized by Belichick, who keeps a tight lid on players’ interactions with reporters.

In the end, Tebow has a new life but that life could change in one week or one year. This journey will be interesting to follow and I am excited to see how it pans out. He could be one of the best role players in the game or he could ride the bench all year.

Start that clock again because “Tebow Time” is now ticking in Foxborough.

New England Patriots wide receiver Chad Ochocinco said he was “not trippin’ ” about losing his wallet, credit cards, license and iPod when someone broke into his SUV Wednesday, but was inconsolable about his Starbucks gold card being stolen as well.

“I earned the gold card,” Ochocinco said in a two-minute video posted to his Twitter account discussing his ordeal. “You know how many coffees I’ve had to drink and lemon loafs I’ve had to purchase to get to that gold card? I had $220 left on my Starbucks card. Not just any Starbucks card, but a gold Starbucks card.”

According to the Starbucks website, gold card holders get a free drink every 15 times the card is used; free syrup or soy milk in any coffee purchase; and, of course, a personalized card so the barista will know you by name when you order. Customers need to use their standard Starbucks card at least 30 times a year to upgrade it to a gold card.

“I feel like I’m about to tear up,” Ochocinco added.

Later in the day, Ochocinco tweeted that the mother of one of his followers had found the wallet in Providence. While it contained his credit cards and license, the Starbucks gold card was missing.

The story does have a happy ending, however. Starbucks reached out to him via Twitter and agreed to replace his gold card.

…Really Chad! Really? I mean it’s a Starbucks card. I am sure if you go to the next location you can get another one for being a “GOLD” member. Your SUV got broken into and you don’t even care about that. C’mon Man! Chad, you need to get out of the spotlight when it comes to entertainment and start producing on the field with your teammates. Start doing funny things again like touchdown dances and calling out defensive backs week to week. But to go on a tangent on Starbucks cards to get attention. You need another job buddy…

“This is still a Cruz and Nicks game,” Belichick was heard saying in audio recorded for NFL Films. “I know we’re right on them. It’s tight but those are still the guys. Make them go to Manningham, make them go to (Bear) Pascoe. Let’s make sure we get Cruz and Nicks.”

The Giants started the drive at their own 12-yard line with 3:46 left in the game and trailing 17-15. On the first play, Giants quarterback Eli Manning dropped a perfect pass down the sidelines to Manningham who somehow made the catch and got two feet down for a 38-yard gain.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was also miked for NFL Films and after watching the replay of the grab, he said “He caught it.”

The Patriots challenged whether Manningham was in bounds. They lost, the Giants were in business and went on to score the go-ahead touchdown. The Patriots actually allowed Ahmad Bradshaw to waltz into the end zone with about a minute left so they would get the ball back.

Before the score, Patriots Jerod Mayo and Vince Wilfork are overheard telling players in the huddle: “We gotta let them score, got to let them score.”

(Chang W. Lee/The New York Times)

The Patriots had been forced to give up the ball after receiver Wes Welker failed to make a tough catch that would have given the Pats a key first down as they tried to eat up the clock.

Referee John Parry, talking to another official, was caught on tape saying of the Welker play: “That was the game.”

Among other interesting audio released by the league, Giants players were trying to figure out the health of Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. He had suffered a high ankle sprain in the AFC title game and didn’t appear to be at full speed in the Super Bowl.

In the third quarter, Giants linebacker Michael Boley says: “Hey, 87’s a (expletive) decoy, he’s a decoy. .. He’s about to be outta here.”

…I think everyone knew that Cruz and Nicks were going to be players the Patriots wanted to stop but I don’t think they expected Manningham to go off like he did in the fourth quarter. Also, I really liked that they got commentary of the referee’s saying that the game was over after that Welker missed catch. That’s something fans wouldn’t expect from referee’s to talk about the game while it is happening. I guess they knew something special would happen. Well something special did happen, The Giants won their second Super Bowl over the Patriots…

New York Jets quarterback, Mark Sanchez has led his team to the AFC championship two years in a row. He also has been on the cover of men’s magazine, GQ, for two years and has been taking hits from his coaches and teammates about being a “pretty boy.” New right tackle Wayne Hunter knows he has to do his job if Sanchez is going to keep his marketability level high enough for the glossy magazines.

“Mark’s a pretty boy, a California pretty boy,” Hunter said. “I can’t get him hit too many times or else he won’t be on the cover of anything.”

…I have to agree with Wayne Hunter on his quarterback. Yes, Sanchez has been doing his job and brought his team to the AFC Championship but No, he should stop being on the covers of magazines and focus on the cover of his quarterback playbook. Sometimes players don’t realize the significance being on a cover of a magazine or being on television every single day. One thing for sure is that it is distracting in the huddle and it can affect the chemistry of the team. When Center Nick Mangold talked about Sanchez in his white pants during a huddle in practice I laughed but was disturbed at the same time. These guys are supposed to be talking football, not clothing styles. But hey, if Mark loves to do it and the Jets keep winning no one will complain. Unless you don’t beat Tom Brady and the Patriots…

The New York Giants quarterback, who does have a Super Bowl MVP award to his name, said on “The Michael Kay Show” on ESPN New York 1050 on Tuesday that he considers himself to be a top quarterback who belongs in the same class as New England’s Tom Brady.

“I consider myself in that class and Tom Brady is a great quarterback, he’s a great player and what you’ve seen with him is he’s gotten better every year and he started off winning championships and I think he’s a better quarterback now than what he was, in all honesty, when he was winning those championships,” Manning said Tuesday. “It’s funny, you say well he won championships, but the team, but I think know he’s grown up and gotten better every year and that’s what I’m trying to do. I kind of hope these next seven years of my quarterback days are my best.”

…I think Tom Brady is not only great but ELITE, Eli. If I am Eli Manning, you cannot even compare yourself to Tom Brady let alone your own brother Peyton Manning. Let me put it this way sports fans, Eli Manning has thrown 113 career interceptions in 6 full seasons and Brady has thrown 103 in 9 full seasons. Not to mention 261 touchdowns for Tom Brady with a completion percentage of 63% and a rating of 95.2. On the other side, Eli has 156 TD and only completes 58% with a rating of 80.2. While these are different numbers based on different situations, the bottom line however is that Eli Manning has put himself up against a wall this year. He now has to back his words up and play as good as one of the best who only threw 4 picks last season compared to his own 25 picks. As a Giants fan, I do love Eli and what he did in those two months of playoff time to bring home a title to New York. However, he cannot be seen as elite until he can prove to me that the Giants can make it to the Playoffs every year, he can win an MVP award, He can make a guy like Victor Cruz turn into a star in the making, and he can win another Super Bowl title. If he can do that, I can say he is at the stage of where Brady is at an above average player. As of right now in the year 2011, he is very very average…

ESPN.com is doing a nice piece on the David Tyree catch from Super Bowl 42 when the Giants upset the New England Patriots 17-14. ABOVE, is a clip of David Tyree explaining everything that happened in the play and what it meant to be a part of history. Here is a quote of the century from David Tyree regarding the final countdown:

“At that point, everything in me was just saying, I’m not letting this ball go. One hand was dislodged from the football and I just knew I was going to hold onto the ball with my other hand, not knowing that my helmet was the only thing that was giving it a brace. So, it was just a moment of destiny.”

…This was the greatest Super Bowl and the greatest catch I have ever seen. Even if you are not a Giants or Patriots fan it is still up there as one of the best ever played. Tyree is out of football but gosh will his heart be ever ingrained in New York and Super Bowl history…

…I have never seen anyone so furious and revved up after a game before in my life. When Rex Ryan says he lets his players speak, he really means it. Bart Scott spoke with passion and with his heart and not with what the viewers want to hear. Listening to this interview, it shocked me but also made me realize that this is the truth. This is not because there are cameras or microphones around him but because he believes what he preaches. Some of the greatest quotes from this are, “I’m pissed off” when asked about how he felt. “Their defense couldn’t even stop a nosebleed,” referring to the New England Patriots. And finally, the word “disrespect came up multiple times because he felt the Jets got disrespected all around the nation. Bart Scott is a true Rex Ryan linebacker and he is still spreading the word as the Jets go to Pittsburgh next week…